What is an EPR representative?
An EPR representative is an organisation that acts on your behalf in managing your Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) obligations.
An EPR representative can manage all or part of your EPR procedures on your behalf. In certain situations, particularly when you place products on the French market without being established in France, appointing an authorised representative is mandatory under Article L.541-10-9-1 of the French Environmental Code.
The representative acts on your behalf under a mandate signed by both parties. Its role depends on the products or packaging concerned, the applicable EPR schemes and the responsibilities set out in the mandate.
What does an EPR representative do?
Depending on the scope of the mandate, the EPR representative may, for example:
- Assist you in joining a producer responsibility organisation (PRO);
- Submit the information required for your application;
- Report products or packaging placed on the market;
- Pay the EPR fees on your behalf;
- Manage communications with producer responsibility organisations (PROs);
- Help you keep your information up to date.
Using an EPR representative does not transfer the producer’s responsibility. The producer remains responsible for complying with its EPR obligations and for the accuracy of the information provided. It is therefore important to understand the main rules that apply to its products, packaging and the relevant EPR schemes, even when all or part of its EPR procedures are entrusted to an EPR representative.
Key Takeaways
An EPR representative can support a company with all or part of its EPR obligations, but the producer remains responsible for compliance.
